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Cooking, organizing and living life!

Author: jspleasants@nc.rr.com

Here it is… my big baking accomplishment. I make (only) 3 desserts and this is the one that I have spent years working on. It is my favorite just plain, but really good with strawberries or with bananas cooked in butter and brown sugar. Here is the recipe!

3 cups cake flour (I use Swans Down)

3 cups sugar

2 sticks butter (softened)

1/2 cup shortening (I use butter flavored)

1 cup milk (room temperature)

5 eggs (room temperature)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla (I like vanilla bean paste)

1 tsp. butter extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternating with milk and mix until blended. Add extracts and mix well. Grease and flour a bundt pan and add batter, top with a couple tablespoons of sugar. Bake for one hour, maybe a little more depending on your oven. A cake tester should come out clean and the cake should be pulled away from the sides. Let it cool in the pan for 20 minutes or so and turn out on a plate. Top with powdered sugar when completely cool.

Have you ever eaten anything that I have cooked? It was probably mac and cheese! I have no idea how I ended up making this for everybody for everything…but this is what I do. I just happen to love noodles and cheese, so it works out well for me! I have one disclaimer… I can make this in my sleep for as many people as you can dream up, so I never use a recipe. When I had to come up with a recipe to give out this was it:

16 ounces of elbow noodles (boiled in salty water and drained)

4-6 cups shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1 can cheddar cheese soup

2 eggs beaten (1 egg if you don’t want it firm)

1 stick butter (cut in pieces)

4-8 ounces sour cream

1 1/2 -2 cups half and half

salt and pepper to taste

Mix butter, 3-4 cups of cheddar and mozzarella into hot noodles. Add soup, sour cream, half and half, and salt & pepper into noodles, then add eggs. Mix well and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and melt until bubbly.

Nutrition information: This is high fat, high carb, and probably high sodium. If you are worried about any of that, just don’t eat it.

Let’s get real here…acne is no fun! Acne is normal, everyday teenager stuff! If you don’t have it you have just been blessed by God with great skin. We had acne in this house and we went to the dermatologist. I don’t know about your insurance, but we pay for the doctor visits. Long gone are the days of the $20 copay. We don’t even want to discuss prescriptions! When the doctor suggested Accutane, I said “NO MA’AM” and we never went back. So a good friend suggested an esthetician. She was good, but have you ever had a peel on your face? There is a good reason she hands you a personal fan, those things hurt! Also let’s plan on $80 per visit, AT LEAST!

I was at the end of my rope with the acne…then I saw on Facebook that a good friend had a product for acne and her son had been using it. Y’all, it was working for that kid! I messaged her and ordered Unblemish from this company that I thought I had never heard of…but then I learned that they were the Proactiv doctors. My mom and I had used that stuff for years. Acne apparently runs well into your 50’s in this family! Let me tell you that this regimen works! To this day there is Unblemish in 2 bathrooms in this house. I use the regimen every morning to prevent breakouts.

If you are at the end of your rope with doctor appointments and prescriptions (and your kids don’t need another thing to make them feel self-conscious) or are you living your teen years all over again with adult acne? Call or message me and let’s get you some Unblemish. You’ll be glad you did, and there is a 60 day money back guarantee. I have to remind you that the pharmacy does NOT give your money back if the prescription doesn’t work! The regimen will last at least 2 months, unless half of it ends up in the sink like it does around here. Teach them to use a small amount and to use each of the 4 products…the right medicine, the right ingredients, in the right order!

Psalm 119:147-148 (NASB) says ” I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on your word.” Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Many verses that talk about daily communion with God. Can you imagine not talking to the most important people in your life on a regular basis? God wants to have a relationship with His children, and His Word has been given to us to accomplish a purpose. It is impossible to follow God’s perfect Will for my life without seeking Him. And His Word also assures me that if I seek Him, I will find Him!

I have been using a devotional for the last couple of months and it is one of the best books I have ever used. It is called New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp. There is a dated devotion for every day of the year. I believe a book is no substitute for reading through a book of the Bible, but it can be a great addition to daily reading.

For teen girls, Sophie Hudson (one of my favorite authors, blogger and podcaster) has written a new book called All in All. It is so important to teach kids that being in the word daily is the best way to know and do God’s will for their lives. Sophie has years of experience working with teen girls in her school, and this is a great book. She has also written three other books. Her humor and charm make her a favorite!

My other favorite author, Melanie Shankle has a book that is being released on March 27, 2018. It is a devotional called Everyday Holy: Finding a Big God in the Little Moments. She is absolutely one of my favorites! I was blessed to be on her launch team for a book that she has coming out in October, and her books never disappoint! I will talk about that one in another post about my favorite books. She also does a podcast called “The Big Boo Cast” with Sophie Hudson. YOU’RE WELCOME! I love them!

I hope that you will use whatever way necessary to have a daily time with God in His Word. You will never regret giving part of the day back to Him!

When you were growing up, did your Grandma have a recipe box? Both of mine do, and I still enjoy looking through that old box and smiling at my favorite recipes. Do you know what our children and grandchildren will remember about us???

PINTEREST!

We don’t use recipe boxes anymore, we don’t use tattered old church cookbooks, we look at the phone or tablet and cook from a web page.

Well my friends…that has changed in this house! About a year ago I got sentimental and decided that my children and grandchildren will have a recipe box. If I leave nothing else of value when I am old and gone, I want to leave my Bible and my recipe box. This has been interesting because I am being very choosy about what goes in my box. It has to be a favorite, it needs to be a regular. I don’t want Madelyn looking through my box one day and saying, “well, I don’t remember any of this”. I have added some from family members, the special ones are from my grandparents. I am gathering favorites now, so if you are family and there is a recipe that just HAS to make it in the box, please let me know!

What favorites would you put in your box? Let me know if you decide to take this project on in your own home.

Purpose defined- (n) the reason for which something exists; an intended, desired result (v) to set as aim or goal, to intend, to resolve

What is my purpose? In Matthew 22:36-37 Jesus is asked “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”. And in Micah 6:8 the Bible says, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

We have tried all kinds of our own ways to please God, but these verses state what God wants from us daily. He wants us to love Him, serve Him and love people.

Am I fair in my dealings with others? Do I show mercy to others? Am I practicing humility? Do I love the Lord MY GOD with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind?

Y’all, when you have been eating low carb…you basically just want some bread. Any bread will do. But, I have bought low carb bagels online and I might as well go eat some cardboard. One day I was searching and came across these beauties, I would credit the website if I could find them again or remember. That’s how it goes in your 40’s. Anyway, these bagels are so good! There are all kinds of versions of fathead dough out there, and that is what this is. It is a dough made with mozzarella cheese and almond flour. I get the fine ground almond flour at Sam’s or Costco, and it works perfectly for these bagels. On a side note…I made garlic cheddar biscuits with this dough and they were heavenly! Here is the recipe for bagels:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1 T baking powder (sifted) may use gluten-free

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (shred from a block for gluten-free)

2 ounces cream cheese

2 large eggs (beaten)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (I tried to skip this once, it was a bad idea). Stir together sifted baking powder and almond flour and set aside. Combine cheeses and microwave for 1 minute, stir, and then one more minute. Stir in the dry ingredients and the eggs and knead until well incorporated if the dough gets too hard you might need to microwave for 10-15 seconds to melt the cheese again. Divide into 6 parts and form a log, then place on the baking sheet in a circle (bagel). Bake for 10-13 minutes until light brown. These have 360 calories and 5g net carbs.

Let me know if you try them! They keep in the refrigerator and I just reheat in the microwave. There are ways to make pizza crust, cinnamon rolls, basically anything you want with variations of this dough. Enjoy!

Why would someone choose to start their own business, and why would they choose network marketing? Why did I choose Rodan+Fields?

These are questions that I would have asked in the past and I have already had them asked to me this month. So why would anybody choose to start their own business? Why not work for somebody else? The other person takes the risk, right? Let me tell you that I want to be the person who reaps the rewards for all of my hard work! If I punch a clock, that business owner benefits from the work that I’m doing. I can set my own hours and work from my kitchen counter!

So why network marketing? Who shops at the store anymore? I don’t! I buy from Amazon and it comes to my front door. Lands End has free shipping all the time! The only places that I go are Target and the occasional grocery store. I shop based on referrals from friends or bloggers who I trust. I just enjoy shopping from my living room. It is the way of the future and everybody is leaning that direction. I can even have a service bring me my groceries…but I haven’t tried that yet!

Why did I choose Rodan+Fields? It was the fact that this company is backed by two of the best dermatologists there are, who cleared up my teenage acne with Proactiv! These doctors and this business model cannot be matched. The compensation plan is so generous! If I am willing to do the work, I will see results. There are no products to handle, merchandise to carry from place to place, and I am not begging my friends to have parties! My friends don’t have time to do a party for me. They are too busy working and being Mom’s! I will have the occasional event, but I just enjoy that. This business will be about relationships and friendships.

Want to work from home? Want to set your own hours? Retire yourself or your husband earlier than expected? If you want to build a business then I want you on my team. Send me a message and we can talk!

While I have my mind on the freezer, let me share one secret to meals that I try to do as needed. I have started a habit of making twice baked potatoes and freezing them. Since you have already seen my freezer situation, you know that I can’t do a ton of freezer cooking. But, it does help to have some things ready to go on a busy night.

I like to do a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes at a time…here is the recipe.

Use 5 lbs. russet potatoes, scrubbed and baked at 350 degrees until tender. Cool slightly and cut in half long ways. Scoop out all of the potato into a bowl and add the following:

3/4 cup sour cream

2 sticks of butter, sliced thin (I know…sorry)

3 cups of cheddar cheese (more depending on your taste)

salt, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic salt, onion powder to taste (that goes on everything and is another post all together!)

1 small bag of bacon bits

half and half (depending on how dry the potatoes are…need to eyeball that)

Stuff the potatoes and put the sheet pan in the freezer to quick freeze.

After an hour or so you can take the pan out of the freezer and put the potatoes into freezer bags for storage.

Just take out the number of potatoes that you need for the night and bake at 350 degrees until they are hot and a little brown on top. I like to add more cheese at the end. I find that any little bit of planning ahead helps…enjoy!

I came to the conclusion over the weekend that my freezer needed a major overhaul. I have one freezer, and it’s a bottom drawer freezer. That is basically a black hole! So after some Pinterest and looking around the Container Store, I have come up with a freezer that I think I can live with! The first thing I did was empty the whole thing out and throw away stuff that looked like it was covered in freezer burn. Then I removed the boxes on the bulky stuff. I wiped everything out and put in the containers that I bought. They were just large multi-purpose containers. I sorted, labeled (of course) and here is the finished product!

Here is the top drawer:

Right side:

Left side:

I hope this will interest at least one person…and I promise to write about more interesting things than organizing the freezer! At least this is a glimpse into a day in the life of a housewife!